Brooke Hall

THA142

1/1/19

Extra Credit Project: Rosco gels

This semester, we have learned about the numerous elements that are used in technical

theatre. From hanging lights to using saws in the set shop, we were taught about the practical

aspects of scenery, props, and lighting production. What fascinates me the most is lighting and

how Rosco gels not only set a tone for a production, but are an art itself.

The history of color gels, or lighting gels, is one from the Shakespearean-era theatre. In

this time period, red wine was actually used as a filter. As time progressed and inventions made

technical production more effective, colored water, silk, and gelatin were all used to filter light

and color it in different colors. Nowadays, color gels are made out of polycarbonate, polyester,

or other heat-resistant plastics. Specifically speaking about Rosco gels, the company of Rosco

didn’t supply gels for the theatre until the World War I era. With the increased “demand coming

from inside the theater for color filters to light the actual productions,” Mr. Rosenstein created

Gelatine – Rosco’s first line of gels that had around a dozen colors (Goldsworthy); thus, Rosco

gels were first in existence.

Rosco gels are placed in gel frames and then light is beamed through them, in turn

filtering the light into a different color. Usually, a white light will be beamed through and the

color of the gel is what color the light will show. While Rosco gels are advantageous in that they

provide different colors possible for lighting a set or actors in theatrical productions, after much

use with the light beaming through it, the gels can fade or melt and the sheet will have to be

replaced. Alternative options to Rosco gels include “colored glass filters or dichroic filters…in
permanent installations and some theatrical uses” (“Color Gel”). However, these are more

expensive and have a more limited selection in colors.

Rosco gels are catalogued with numbers and letters and a name for each time of color gel.

Focusing on specifically the Roscolux gels, they will be in letter-numbers-name format (i.e.

R3152 Urban Vapor) (“Roscolux®”). Set up in a swatchbook, there are exactly 266 Roscolux

gels, all useable for theatrical productions. On the overview tab of Roscolux on the Rosco

website, Roscolux is described as being “widely recognized as the most versatile range of color,

correction and diffusion filters for entertainment lighting. Originally introduced in the United

States, it is now available all around the globe. Roscolux is comprised of two types of body-

colored plastic filters; extruded polycarbonate and deep dyed polyester, both of which provide

superior consistency and durability when installed in front of hot theatrical and film/TV

fixtures.” Features of these gels include a deep-dyed polyester base which expands the polymer

structure and allows the dye molecules to penetrate the base film, leaving the dye trapped below

the surface, as well as a body-colored polycarbonate which combines powdered resin and dyes to

create a concentrated color “pellet” that is blended with a clear resin. These gels also have all of

their colorants trapped inside the plastic which, in return, makes them more resistant to the

fading mentioned above earlier. In “The Rosco Guide to Color Filters” published on the Rosco

website, numerous lighting designers have contributed to and detailed a guide of how specific

Rosco gels can be used for technically lighting a theatrical production. Divided in the

subcategories of front light, accent lighting, natural light, and special effects, these professional

lighting designers list a Rosco gel code name and then elaborate what each color is good for. For

example, for lighting warm acting areas, Roscolux 01 is suggested with the explanation of

“enhances fair skin tones…suggests strong sunlight.” Some even compare Rosco gels to each
other; for instance, 384 Midnight Blue is “deeper than R83 with a little more red” while 374 Sea

Green is “greener than R73.” Moreover, some descriptions will suggest combining certain gels

together, such as with 4530 CC 30 Yellow’s application being “double 4515…combine with

4430 for rich foliage washes.”

Personally, I find Rosco gels to be absolutely fascinating because I greatly appreciate art

and color. In addition to this, I believe that Rosco gels are incredibly important in the technical

side and performance of theatrical productions. If a theatrical production was to just be lit in a

white light, it would be completely ineffective to setting a tone of a show and telling the story of

it. By simply using different Rosco gels of warm tones and cool tones, the lighting execution of

a production can switch between day and night time. In addition to this, Rosco gels can

emphasize and accent something on stage by placing a specific colored light on it. In a

production I saw of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” the main character

Christopher Boone finds letters from his mother who he thought had passed away years ago.

While the whole stage is lit in dark blue color depicting the suspense and somber tone of the

scene, the letter was lit in a bright light yellow with a Rosco gel. I believe that this not only

highlighted the importance of the letter, but provided a drastic contrast between the dark colored

lighting. It was like a beacon of light shone on the letter, providing all the answers and truths

that Christopher desperately needed to know. Therefore, without the use of Rosco gels in this

specific scene, the letter he finds that changes the whole plot of the show might not have been

deemed as important or worthy of note. Rosco gels tell the story in addition to the actors of a

theatrical production.

All in all, the history and uses of Rosco gels are incredibly fascinating as well as highly

essential to the physical technical use and creative lighting design in theatrical productions.
Without Rosco gels, shows would not provide the same tone, mood, or story that they do.

Works Cited

“Color Gel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_gel.

Goldsworthy, Chanda. “Stan Talks: Getting Into The Business Of Color Filters.” Rosco

Spectrum, 9 Mar. 2017, www.rosco.com/spectrum/index.php/2017/03/stan-talks-getting-

into-the-business-of-color-filters/.

“Roscolux®.” Rosco, us.rosco.com/en/products/catalog/roscolux.

“Stan Talks: Getting Into The Business of Color Filters.” YouTube, 18 Apr. 2017,

youtu.be/SUaomP05OWc.